I am reposting here updates I have made to the Coterie
Comics website. I will also be posting concept art that can be found at
our gallery.
by Lane on December 26th, 2011
On this yuletide day, let us remember Zuzu’s words, “When a Kickstarter project is funded, an angel gets its wings.”
Today is the affirmation I was looking for. At the beginning of the
month I had some measure of confidence that we would make it, but I
wasn’t sure. Honestly, I was concerned that our hopes might be too
high, our goals too ambitious. My fears have been assuaged.
Like George Bailey, I stood on the frigid bridge that represents all
artists’ fears. I have long enjoyed my artistic family, but I was
beginning to believe that I had lost my place amongst them. Maybe they
didn’t want me. Maybe they’d be better off without me.
I made an inventory of what artistic accomplishments I had completed,
took a chance, and put myself out there. You were ready to catch me.
Donations came (and are still coming) from everywhere. While it was
fun to have an international backer along with several anonymous
(seemingly random) donors, it was mostly the groundswell of Coterie
veterans and fans that helped us out. As of now, we will be printing
fifteen to twenty copies of our Kickstarter edition October Boy. After
that, we will be printing our standard print issue comics for fans who
find us later. Today you have earned my thanks and promise that we will
deliver the best comic we can produce.
Today you have collectively made me the richest man in town.
by Lane on December 10th, 2011
I had an idea that Kickstarter was going to help us out, but damn.
All credit goes to either Matt or Josh for mentioning Kickstarter
even existed. On our way out of leaving APE this year, one of you
mentioned we could get help funding this project. A month later, I was
on the phone with Matt, lead artist, trying to determine how much our
Kickstarter goal should be. If you can believe it, I had to be
convinced we could reach $300. We know the economy sucks. We know
people are tight right now. We know it’s bloody Christmas.
But so far, people have found the cash anyways. And while we’ve been
helped by a parent and a couple of the old Coterie folks, they only
account for half of our backers. A comic artist in Oklahoma was the
first to start us off. A man from Sweden backed us soon after. The
list continues.
I want to thank you now. As promised, I am going to post more concept art to the gallery.
To old friends and new fans I say thank-you.
by Lane on December 5th, 2011
Within twenty-four hours of launching the Kickstarter page, three books were sold. Unfortunately, I can’t frame our first dollar on the wall, but I can do you one better.
The Concept Art page
has been updated. There you will find three concept drawings in
development. It is a slideshow of progression, a look at things to
come. There you will see a “pumpkin person”, an automaton creature that
inhabits the autumn world. He is scary and he has friends. Made from
whatever is available, these creatures are unique in structure, but not
in function. They are there to maintain and defend their land from all
who invade. Our young protagonist will have his work cut out for him.
When we reach $100 on our Kickstarter page I’ll put up some more concept art. Until then,
You can’t stop the signal
by Lane on December 3rd, 2011
Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. Coterie has been Kickstarted!
At our Kickstarter page we are now open for backers.
If some of that sentence does not make sense, allow me to explain.
Kickstarter is a website where, for a small donation, you can become a
supporter of an artistic project. In return, you get a piece of the
finished project. Donating has never been so rewarding.
Our first issue will be entitled October Boy. While there will be
more information to follow, here is the summary from the Kickstarter
page:
October Boy is the debut comic Coterie Comics. The first
“act” will involve denial, the first stage of grief. Our young
protagonist has an unfortunate encounter with heavy machinery that sends
him into another world. This new land is populated with the fantastic
horrors of Autumn at the direction of a sinister ruler.
A first glimpse of some concept art can be seen on the page directly.
I am excited that we are off the ground running, here’s to small beginings.
You can’t stop the signal.
In the immortal words of this millennium’s court jester, “And here we go.”
Coterie Comics is no longer a figment of my imagination. It isn’t a
doodle on a bar napkin found in one of the many drinking establishments
in Chico. As of December 1st, 2011 Coterie Comics is an independent
comic publisher based in northern California, found wherever internet is
sold. All things considered, we’re off to a good start.
But, like all things American, there is a story behind this one.
In 2005 a small art collective at Chico State held land from the
not-so-oppressive Student Affairs and began drawing. It was a salon, a
group of like minded artists who drew, talked, and enjoyed the comfort
of friends. In the incarnations of the Coterie, these activities have
been retained. There were few hurdles; there were few goals. This was
the Comic Book Coterie.
2007 was a year of great transition for the CBC. A new leader was
elected, and with him a new direction. The Comic Book Coterie now had a
mission statement: develop, produce, edit, print, sell, and distribute a
printed comic book. It was an ambitious goal. Over a hundred prairie
dog (man) hours were put in the brief, oversized edition. When all was
done, the comic was sold at a convention sponsored by two clubs, and
every artist received a copy of the finished product.
As years progressed, so did the ambition of the CBC. By 2010 the
Anthology had nine accepted submissions and was a sampling of a variety
of cultures and art styles. This was a strong year for the CBC and one
it would never see again. The next year, the remaining undergrads
produced a solid edition that would close the chapter on the college
years. Members dispersed, moved back home, and the search for paying
jobs began. The Coterie seemed all but dead.
The Coterie isn’t dead. You can’t kill the Coterie.
In the summer of 2011 rumors surfaced of a new beginning. Business
talks were made throughout the north state and stories were being
furnished. The stories wouldn’t go away. Stories without color, without
line, without artists were developing. In October, a small contingent
attended APE in San Francisco and the dream was born again. Coterie Comics now had a due date, and it was going to arrive before Christmas.
Now, a few of the members have come back. They have sharpened their
Prisma Colors, wiped clean their Wacom Tablets, and reinked their
typewriters. The all-star club of creators and visionaries have returned
to do what they do best: create visual stories. Join us in our digital
renaissance as we start anew.
Coterie Comics isn’t a figment of my imagination, but it is a waking
dream. We have created this because we are compelled to. The drive of
the artists is the lifeblood of everything we do here. The Coterie will
survive because there will always be an artist that needs an outlet.
Viva la revolution!
Lane
